The fall is undeniably my favorite time of year. The sweltering summer is fading, the shadows are getting longer, leaves are turning Technicolor – and, most importantly for me, hunting seasons begin to open.

All across the country, sportsmen and women are taking to the field and carrying forth traditions that are deeply ingrained in our national identity. The North American Model of Wildlife Management is unlike that of any other place in the world. Our wildlife and natural resources are held in public trust—these are true commons. As citizens of the United States, these things belong to all of us.

But this fall, just as most hunters are gearing up to get outside, Congress has dropped an enormous obstacle on the dirt road that leads to your favorite duck blind or tree stand. In short, if you hunt on federal public lands, your season is currently closed.

As most folks probably know by now, Congress failed to pass any legislation that would fund the federal government into the next fiscal year; FY13 ended on September 30th. We are now four days into a shutdown, and it is unclear at this point how long it will last. So while Congress continues to grandstand and squabble, the gates remain locked on hundreds of National Wildlife Refuges and other important landscapes across the country—and critical wildlife professionals can’t go to work.

As sportsmen and women, we regularly pay taxes and fees on equipment, licenses, stamps and permits to provide financial support for healthy habitats and robust wildlife populations. We fund the things we love, and we’re more than happy to continue to do so—making this dismissal of our priorities particularly stinging at a time when we’re ready to get outside.

Many communities, particularly rural ones, are also feeling the hurt financially. Hunting and fishing is a huge economic engine for many businesses that depend on tourists and locals spending their money in shops and on services. Nationwide, 90 million hunters, anglers and wildlife watchers contribute $145 billion to the economy. If we can’t go afield, our money will stay in our wallets.

As the days pass, we can only hope that Congress will find a resolution to this impasse. Ripple effects like these are not necessarily obvious at first blush—but as time goes on, and our already-limited days afield take a cut, the impacts to our traditions will be noticeable.

As the unofficial start of summer rolls in, and brings with it all the excitement of family barbeques and weekends in the sun, I’m actually pretty bummed. For me, it’s much less the beginning of a new season—but the end of a very special one: spring turkey season.

The few weeks in April and May when turkey hunting is open is undeniably my favorite time of year. The quiet chill of winter is finally giving way to sunshine and hints of green. Birds are finding their voices again. The insufferable clouds of mosquitoes haven’t developed just yet, and it’s the perfect time to sit quietly against a tree and watch the world come back to life.

Don’t get me wrong – getting out of bed at 3:30 in the morning is painful. Every early morning I have the same thought: why do I do this to myself? It doesn’t take much, however—only that first pre-dawn gobble of a big tom turkey from his roost somewhere in the trees—before I remember why. Only a lucky few know what it’s like before the forest wakes up on a spring morning, when the only sounds are a few chuck-will’s-widows calling out and the crunch of last fall’s leaves beneath your boots.

This wild turkey struts across the field. black_throated_green_warbler/Flickr

A window into a wild world

It’s also an indescribable experience to call to a gobbler as if you were a lonely hen, and to have him respond with gusto. They’re incredible birds. To me, they always resemble something prehistoric, carefully picking a quiet path through the trees with their long, scaly legs and tiny, white golf ball heads—until the toms display full strut, with tail fanned and chest feathers puffed out. Then they look like Thanksgiving walking through the woods.

To them, everything incites curiosity, and watching them explore decaying logs or empty ditches is like a window into another world. This spring, on one special morning, we called in three jakes (juvenile males), and we watched them chase grasshoppers and play turkey tag for several minutes until interest in a squirrel drew them further into the woods. They had been entirely unaware of our presence, and I felt pretty lucky to get to watch them behave as they have for millennia. Several years ago, when turkeys were nearly gone from many places around the country, we would not have been so fortunate. Extraordinary conservation efforts—thanks to dedicated men and women everywhere—have gone into rebuilding wild turkey populations and protecting their forest habitats.

Family Traditions

Hunting during turkey season with my father. NWF Photo by Rachel Dawson

Following my dad down an old logging road every Saturday morning of the season, like clockwork, is another reason why this is a special opportunity. Despite having three decades squarely under my belt, it’s still important to be able to spend this time as father and daughter—and I still learn so much from him with every adventure. He has taught me everything about being an outdoors woman: from how to fine-tune the clucks and purrs in my calling, to the importance of conserving wildlife and natural resources for the future of our hunting heritage.

Indeed, this season was successful. Our family harvested three toms, plenty for us. But it’s clearly not always about the hunt. There is so much more that comes with pursuing game: a chance to experience the wild in a unique way, an important time together as family, and a deeper understanding of the importance of giving back to ensure that our sportsmen’s (and women’s) traditions persist for future generations. So while I might be disappointed to see another turkey season in the books, I know I can look forward to seeing those jakes return as toms next spring…and there is plenty of summer fishing to come in the meantime!

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2013/05/lets-talk-turkey-conservation-traditions-and-turkey-season/feed/680800America’s Hunters Ask: Where are Clean Water and Healthy Wetlands in the Election Discourse?http://blog.nwf.org/2012/10/americas-hunters-ask-will-the-vice-presidential-candidates-debate-clean-water/
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/10/americas-hunters-ask-will-the-vice-presidential-candidates-debate-clean-water/#commentsThu, 11 Oct 2012 20:16:57 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=68038Tonight, Congressman Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden will engage in a primetime debate on foreign and domestic issues. We remain hopeful that among the many important topics raised tonight will be a discussion of the protection of America’s air, land, water and wildlife. Unfortunately, we typically need to dig deeper to find the candidates’ positions and conservation agendas—which is why I was thrilled to see an interview with Congressman Ryan in Outdoor Lifelast week, in which he spoke about several conservation issues (including whether he supports the sell-off of public lands).

For me, the highlight of the interview was the statement Congressman Ryan made in support of the virtues of the Clean Water Act—which for four decades has not only led to more drinkable, swimmable and fishable waters for millions of Americans, but has also played an important role in protecting vital wildlife habitat.

“The Clean Water Act has been helpful too, in making sure that wetlands are protected so that there’s more than a one-for-one replacement in some instances. That’s a good thing. We believe that wetland conservation is a critical part of conservation. Don’t forget that hunters are the best conservationists there are in America.”

Duck hunting in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

As someone who loves to hunt and fish, this sentiment is music to my ears. In reality, the Clean Water Act has not only been “helpful” for protecting wetlands across the country, it has been the primary tool for states and the federal government to stem the tide of decades of wetland loss. And America’s hunters and anglers certainly recognize the necessity of healthy wetland habitat for the future of our pastimes and traditions; in fact, recent NWF poll data indicate that they overwhelmingly support strong Clean Water Act protections, even for headwater streams and small wetlands.

Unfortunately, Congressman Ryan has recently cast several votes that would only serve to weaken the Clean Water Act.

This year, he voted against an amendment to the House Energy & Water Appropriations bill that would ensure headwater streams and wetlands enjoy full Clean Water Act protections. The Moran amendment would have struck a policy rider included in the bill to keep the US Army Corps of Engineers from clarifying the definition of waters under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.

And last year, he voted for legislation that would undermine the core of the Clean Water Act’s ability to protect waters and wetlands. Specifically, H.R. 2018 would prevent the federal government from promulgating water quality standards and would remove critical EPA permitting and oversight authority of dredging and filling of wetlands and waters.

Healthy wetlands mean better duck seasons.

To be fair, the Obama Administration doesn’t have a perfect track record of advancing Clean Water Act protections for wetlands and streams. Despite pleadings from the nation’s leading sportsmen and conservation organizations they have thus far left standing a Bush-era policy that allows developers to continue to drain, dredge and fill far too many wetlands and headwaters.

As duck season is opening across the country—and sportsmen and women are taking to the field with friends and families—many are reflecting on the quality of their outdoor experiences. Given the countless hours spent hip-deep in our nation’s wetlands, waterfowl hunters understand better than most what curtailing laws like the Clean Water Act would really mean. To the extent that both presidential campaigns want to compete for the support from hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts they should lay out a clear agenda on how they would better wildlife and wildlife habitat including through enforcing the Clean Water Act.